Batch 108

What’s the collective noun for a group of Bunnahabhains? That’s what’s on Scotchwhisky.com editor Becky Paskin’s mind this week as she makes her way through a bounty/basket/bevy of Bunnahabhain bottlings – three limited editions from the distillery and a fourth from independent bottler Wemyss Malts.

The four expressions each showcase a different side of the Islay distillery’s character, and its preference for finishing whiskies in various casks.

First up is a straight-up Bunna’ matured in a hogshead for 27 years, which despite its age retains a youthfulness that has Paskin fawning over its herb garden of aromas.

The next three whiskies have all been matured in second-fill oloroso Sherry butts and given various finishes, to different degrees of success.

A Bunnahabhain 2003 PX Finish is such a sweet Sherry bomb that it has Paskin reaching for the cheese platter (and dialling for the dentist). However, a second Sherry-finished expression, Bunnahabhain 1980 Canasta Finish, provides a much drier and more complex experience, and commands a high score. Finally, Bunnahabhain’s peated alter ego, Moine, gets a ‘winey, fruity’ French brandy finish.

Just to break up the flow, two additional expressions from Fife bottler Wemyss Malts are thrown in. An unctuous and polished 20-year-old Clynelish gleans strong praise from Paskin, while a more delicate, yet spicier, 20-year-old Glenrothes has her scrambling around a hedge maze, seeking a way out.

Bunnahabhain 1990, Hike to the Haven (Wemyss Malts)

Very perfumed and grassy – all Parma Violets and lemon balm. There’s sweetness in the form of milk chocolate, but even that’s peppered with nuggets of floral Turkish Delight.

Palate

The rose note carries through onto the palate with a rounded fruitiness in tow, then – suddenly – things take a bitter, salty turn. Spice appears from nowhere, bringing up the rear with cooked plums and cured figs. Hold it long enough in the mouth for worn leather and shiitake mushrooms.

Finish

Earthy, savoury, but short.

Conclusion

A real journey in a glass.

Right place, right time

Turn right at the herb garden and follow the path to the magical forest.

Bunnahabhain 1980 Canasta Finish, 36 Years Old

Gosh, it’s a very dim shade of brown, akin to a tarnished penny. A very dry, dusty nose: empty walnut shells, a book cabinet that’s not been opened for years. There’s nougat and prune juice, dry oloroso Sherry and some black pepper. There’s soul here.

Palate

Sweet, with a sour dryness: old leather books, damp earth and wooden furniture. The fruit is rich and dark – dried citrus peel, raisins, prunes – and accompanied by a complementary saltiness, the effect of which is more Christmas pudding than cake.

Finish

Dry, fruity and earthy.

Conclusion

Drier than most Sherried malts; there’s balance and complexity. Excellent.

Bunnahabhain 2003 PX Finish, 15 Years Old

Thick, like sugar syrup. It’s all molasses and burnt honey, dense wild strawberry jam, salt water taffy and hazelnuts. Very Christmassy. Very Sherried.

Palate

Rich and sweet, as you’d expect, with a thick, syrupy texture bordering on liqueur-like. It’s very, very Sherried. In fact it’s so Sherried it’s almost one-dimensional. It doesn’t go anywhere else.

Finish

Sweet. Sherried.

Conclusion

There’s little dryness, and bucketloads of rich fruit and sweetness, so it will no doubt appeal to Sherry bomb fans. However, four years finishing in first-fill PX casks has completely destroyed any semblance of Bunnahabhain character. This could be from any distillery.

Clynelish 1997, Coastal Orchard (Wemyss Malts)

Thick and unctuous, but reluctant to give all its character away on the nose. Waxy red apple skin, thick milk chocolate and a recently-polished table is about all you’re given.

Palate

Soft brown sugar and rich fruit, then baking spices gently emerge, building to a crescendo, before sloping off in a whirl of toasted oak, salty grilled pineapples and bouncy balls (in a good way). A beautiful, waxy texture.

Finish

Sadly, a little too short.

Conclusion

Rich, fruity and syrupy.

Right place, right time

Behind the Big Top. Someone nearby bobs for apples as the crowds cheer the unicyclist in the ring.

Much fiercer than the nose lets on – it’s got bite. Rich fruit from the off gives way to a rising charred, spicy heat on the mid-palate. Water calms the storm, revealing a secret apple bon-bon beneath, redolent with sour green apples, a dusting of icing sugar and a rich toffee heart. But it’s nowhere near as characterful as the nose suggests.

Finish

Spicy and dry. Surprisingly, the lingering flavour is of dark chocolate nibs.

Conclusion

The nose is no indication of the palate; the palate no indicator of the finish. It’s a dram that keeps you guessing.

Right place, right time

Turning this way and that, he admitted the hedge maze had gotten the better of him.